Adaptive packaging for food processing systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to a re-closable package, wherein at least one layer of said package is derived and fabricated essentially from a single piece of packaging material, has at least an inner and outer chamber, each capable of holding one or more separate or mixed solid or liquid food components. It also relates to one or more mechanisms within said package design and configuration preferentially allowing controlled movement of gas but not liquid and / or solids both within the package and / or from within the package to the outside. It further relates to a method for controlling and selectively modifying a number of processing conditions within said packaging, particularly pack pressure, gas volume and gas composition. It also relates to package design capability to accelerate and / or optimize product processing within any food sterilization or pasteurization system and its subsequent handling, storage and transportation without further modification.

Description

PRIORITY[0001]This application benefits from the priority of Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 478,190, filed 22 Apr. 2011[0002]REFERENCES CITEDU.S. Patents4,206,299June 1980Yamazaki et al.4,476,263October 1984Owens7,008,501March 2006Lohwasser et al.7,178,555February 2007Engle et al.7,452,561November 2008Newman7,475,786January 2009McVayPatent Application 12 / 005,596June 2009HoffmanPatent Application 61 / 182,731May 2010NewmanPatent Application 61 / 488,220May 2011NewmanForeign PatentsGB 2408440July 2002NewmanOther ReferencesPrinciples of Aseptic Processing and Packaging, Nelson, P., PurdueUniversity Press (3rd Ed.) 2010FIELD OF INVENTION[0003]The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for modifying and controlling a number of processing conditions, particularly pack pressure, gas volume and gas composition within a re-closable package which has one or more chambers which may be separate or continuous, one or more mechanisms, which may be active or passive, to allow cont...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Significantly reduces processing times, improves product quality, and lowers costs by optimizing energy usage and packaging material efficiency, allowing for a wide range of products to be processed in a single system without pre-sterilizing containers.

Problems solved by technology

Because of the relatively long dwell times, it does tend to over-process many products.

It cannot compensate its processing conditions quickly to accommodate changes in product properties such as variations in incoming temperature and / or fluctuations in composition.

However, by far the greatest limitation is the constraint the system's extreme operating conditions place on the types of product packaging that can be accommodated.

With operating temperatures often exceeding 120° C. and operating pressures in excess of 2 atmospheres, packaging materials are usually limited to those able to withstand such extremes of processing conditions such as sealed metal cans and, to a somewhat lesser degree, glass jars and bottles.

Such processing conditions generating high temperatures and pressure within the product container, the container is often exposed to over-pressurization, i.e. pressure is applied to the external surfaces to counter-act the increased pressure within the container and the stresses to the container structure and integrity.

In addition, the liquid / gaseous nature of the sterilizing media prevents the use of many newer packaging materials, particularly those made from laminated card or paperboard.

The prolonged immersion times in a liquid and / or high humidity atmosphere will cause such materials to become water sodden and lose their physical strength and integrity.

These will delaminate, soften or melt under such extreme processing conditions, while the often significant expansion of the package contents, particularly the gas / air in the package headspace will lead to seam rupture, wall weakening and / or package burst.

Finally, many laminate-based packaging will, when subjected to high temperatures and / or high moisture content environments, cause breakdown products, many often toxic such as terephthalates and bis-phenol-A, to be released into the food product within.

However, none of these alone or in combination will resolve many of the practical limitations associated with utilizing modem packaging materials within the continuous, in-container, thermal processing environment.

As well as the processing environment constraints, there are several other packaging-related issues that also need addressing.

While this allows product to be sterilized to required time-temperature and pressure conditions, it does so at a cost in fact several costs.

Firstly, the thickness of the container adds weight and cost through space (it is usually not collapsible and occupies its full volume even when empty), storage (same reason) and transport.

Secondly, the wall thickness requires additional energy to both heat up and cool down while negatively effecting the rate of heat transfer between the energy source (water or steam) and the product inside.

This in turn affects the resultant product quality.

However, these are costly to produce but they cannot withstand the rigors of the in-container sterilization.

Alternative graphics printed on heat shrinkable film have been developed for adding to retort packages and could be added to in-container sterilized products but again at additional cost and more production time.

The result is a very efficient but expensive packaging system.

Finally there is the issue of packaging sterilization.

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